Circuit-indicator.



W. E. BEEDE.

CIRCUIT INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1914.

PatentedNov. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- moriarewla W/TNESSES r lNl/E/VTUH ATTORNEY W. E.BEEDE.

CIRCUIT INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 17, 19:4.

Patented Nov. 27, 1917.

2SHEETSSHEET 2.

WIT IVESSES A TTOR/VEV WALTER E. BJEEJD'E, 01E NEW YORK, N. Y.

GWfiUIT-JINDICATQE.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2'2, lltlil "do application filed January 1?, 119143.serial Ito. 812,717.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, WALTER 1E. BEEDE, a citizen of the United States,residing at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county ofNew York and Statev of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Circuit-Indicators, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,formin part thereof.

y invention relates to e ectric circuit indicators, and the instrumentof my invention is more particularly intended to be mounted on thedashboard or instrument board of an automobile and connected in thecircuit to indicate Whether a storage battery employed in an electriclighting or lighting and engine starting equipment is receiving acharge, or that current is being used therefrom, or that no current isflowing in either direction, as the case may be, and to give positivelythese three indications. ln such electrical equipments, expensivemeasuring instruments have heretofore commonly been used, having acalibrated scale and con structed to show the strength of the currentflowing to or from the storage battery, as well as its presence anddirection. There is need, howevenfor an instrument which will clearlygive the three positive indications mentioned, these being of primeimportance, and which shall be of comparatively low cost and peculiarlyadapted to the conditions existing in such use.

eneral objects of my invention are reliability, non-disturbance of thecircuit in which the instrument is connected, and inexpensiveness ofmanufacture. More particular objects are unfaltering dependability ofindication, complete and unhesitating shifting from one indicatingposition to another, operation by small current together with capacityfor large currents without damage to the instrument, very smallconsumption of current in theinstrument, certainty of operablecondition, simplicity and ruggedness of construction in which small anddelicate parts are obviated, and other objects and advantages which willherein after appear.

My invention includes features of construction and combinations ofparts, as will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the circuit indicators embodying my inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point outmy invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation or face view of an instrument embodying myinvention, with the cover removed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on aplane indicated by line 22 ofFig. l. asviewed from the right.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on a plane indicated by line 38 of Fig. las viewed from below.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of an insulating strip employed in theconstruction.

ig. 5 is a face view of the instrument drawn to a reduced scale.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l with parts omitted and broken away.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on a plane indicated by line 77 of Fig. 1as viewed from the right, but with the movable parts in a difi'erentindicating position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective of the indicating cylinder and its movablemagnets. Fig. 9 is a perspective of a polar extension of the stationarymagnet.

Fig. 10 is a diagram of the magnets and electrical circuit of theinstrument as seen from the front.

Fig. 11 is a similar diagram of a slightly modified constructionemploying two stationary magnets.

The circuit indicator illustrated in Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive, of thedrawings will now be described. An axially pivoted indicating cylinderhas a tubular peripheral shell 1 provided on its periphery with thethree indications, Charge, Gd and Discharge, these indicating wordsbeing shown as circumferentially angularly spaced apart about 30. Theindicating shell 1 may be of suitable non-magnetic material, such ascelluloid, and that is the material employed in the instrumentillustrated in the drawings. The shell 1 is notched at its ends and isclamped between bar magnets 2 notched at their ends to fit into thenotches of the shell, as clearly appears in the drawings. The magnets 2are parallel to one another and oppositely arranged as to theirpolarity, as is indicated in severalfigures of the drawings by theletters N and S. The indications are shown as placed on the shell 1 sothat the 0d indication is in alinent with ends of the magnets 2, so thatit will be exposed when the shell 1 is in the middle positionparticularly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The magnets 2 carry the shell 1 andare shown as carried and clamped on a bearing arbor 3, which isshouldered against the magnets 2 and has its reduced end portionsthreaded and provided with nuts 4, and its extreme ends pointed to entercenter bearings in pivot screws 5, these pivot screws 5 being threadedinto L-shaped supports 6 and 7 and provided with jam nuts. In theinstrument now being described, the support 6, appearing at the left inFigs. 1, 3, 6 and 10, is a magnet, and the other support 7 appearing atthe right in Figs. 1, 3 and 6, is of non-magnetic material, such asbrass. The foot portions of the L-shaped supports 6 and 7 extend to therear of the movable magnets 2 and are shown as secured by means ofscrews to a base plate or frame 8, which is in turn similarly secured tothe flat back of a thin sheet metal cylindrical casing 9, the frame 8and easing 9 being of nonmagnetic material. It will be seen that thestem portions of the L-shaped supports 6 and 7 project from the back ofthe casing 9 toward the front of the instrument. The magneticallypolarized support 6 exerts a directive influence upon'the adjacentmovable magnet 2 of the indicating cylinder, and the relativepolarization of these two magnets is such as magnetically to determineor fix the middle position of the indicating cylinder in which theindicating word OE will be directed toward the front of the instrument,as most clearly appears in Figs. 1 and 5, the magnetic polarlty of thesupport 6 being indicated in some of the figures of the drawings by theletters N and S. The cover of the cash! 9 comprises a bezel rin 10 and acrysta glass 11 blackened at the ack excepting at a central sight slot,as indicated in Fig. 5.

Theends of the movable magnets 2- are V-shaped so as to form salientdihedral angles providing sharp magnetism-concentrating edges runningparallel to the axis of the arbor 3, both ends of both magnets 2 beingthus formed for convenience and uniformity of construction. A piece ofthin paramagnetic material forms a polar extension 12 for the foot endof the stationary magnet 6, and is shown (see Fig.- 9) as of general U-shape and as clamped between the foot of the magnet 6 and the frameplate 8, and having a thin magnetismconcentrating edge which is closelyadjacent to the corresponding sharp edge of the magnet 2 at that end ofthe indicating cylinder (Figs. 2 and 3) when the indicating cylinder isin the middle position, and this polar extension 12 coiiperates with thesharpedge of this magnet 2 to produce a strongly locally intenslfiedfield which will magnetically sharply and strongly determine the middleposition of the indicating cylinder, so that the OE.

responding ends of the cores 15 indication will appear clearly throughthe sight opening of the glass 11 (Fig. 5), whenever there is no currentflowin through the circuit in which the indicator 1s interposed.Electrically controlled ma etic means are provided for magnetical yrotatively shifting .the indicating cylinder to one or the other of itsextreme positions, so as to show the indication Charge or Discharge,sight opening, according to the direction of current in the circuit,this current flowing in one direction when the storage battery is beincharged and in the opposite direction w en the storage battery isdischarging. Such shifting means are shown as including coils 13 and 14,one coil at each side of and somewhat to the rear of the shell 1 of theindicating cylinder, these coils being slightly bowed or arched tobetter fit in the space between the indicating shell 1 and thecylindrical wall of the casing 9, as well as to bring the polar ends ofthe coils into closer proximity to the movable magnets 2 which arecontrolled by the coils 13 and 14. Both in order to strengthen and tomore strongly concentrate or localize the magnetic fields produced bythe coils 13 and 14, these 0011s are provided with non-magnetizedparamagnetic cores 15, for example, of soft iron, of arcuate form, theends of which project from the respective coils in proximity to the rearends of the movable magnets 2, so that each movable magnet 2 has one ofits poles substantially between the adjacent ends of the cores 15.

The ma etizing coils 13 and 14 are their cores by means of insulatingsheaths 16, which may be formed by a winding of suitable insulatingtape. The two ma netizing coils 13 and 14 are preferab y formed of asingle continuous wlre continued from one coil to the other, as shown.The coils 13 and 14 are shown as arranged in series and are oppositelywound, so as to exert opposite magnetizing effects as to polarity, sothat with current flowing through the coils in'a given direction corwillof op osite magnetic polarity, and both poles of 0th the cores will bereversed when the current is reversed and flows through the coils in theother direction. Thus it is apparent that both coils 13 and 14 will actjointly and in harmony upon both of the movable magnets 2 to displacethem, and with them the indicating shell 1, rotatively in one directionor the other, according to the polarity of the cores 15 as determined byt c direction of current in the coils 13 and 14. For example, should thecurrent ama-ac flow in throu h the coil 13 and out throu h the coil 14,t e core of the coil 13 will e of north polarity and the core of thecoil 14 of south polarity at their ends adjacent to the stationarymagnet 6, as is indicated in Fig. 7 and the movable magnet 2 ad'a centto the stationary magnet 6 will be in-' fluenced, in opposition to themagnetic control of the stationary magnet 6, to cause its 5; rear end tomove downward to give the discharge indication (see Fig. 7) and theother movable magnet 2, whose movement is unopposed (the support 7 beingnonmagnetic) will be in like manner influenced why the coils and theircores and the indicating cylinder will be forcefully actuated to ive thedesired indication.

he several parts are relatively so proportioned electrically andmagnetically that a very small current in the coils 13 and 14 willdevelop suflicient magnetism to overcome the biasing efl'ect of thestationary magnet 6 and shift the indicating cylinder to one of itsextreme positions. On the other hand, and. in part at least because ofthe large diameter of the wire in the coils, the instrument will notbe-damaged by the heaviest current ever employed in the systems in whichthe instrument is intended to so be used, and, furthermore, theresistance of the coils 13 and 14 is so smallthat consumption ofelectrical energy by the instru: ment itself is negligible.

The cores 15 serve to support the coils 13 and 14, and these cores aresupported at their ends on non-magnetic posts, shown as made up ofspacing blocks 17, screws 18 passin through the ends of the cores 15 andthrong theblocks 17 into the frame plate to 8, which is shown as ofl-shape.

Positive stops or abutments 19 are provided at the extreme positions ofthe 1nd1- cating cylinder so as to stop the cylinder at the positionwhere the indlcation Charge or Discharge, as the case maybe, wlll beclearly visible through the sight opening in the coloring of the crystal11. The stops 19 are of non-magnetic sheet metal, each having Iawasher-likeportion held by one of the coreholding screws 18 and a proect ng tongue portion in the path of one of the movable magnets 2. Inthe drawings, two stops 19 are shown as employed, both at the same .endof the indicating cylinder and at the 5 same end-thereof as thestationary magnet 6, but it is clearly a matter of indifi'ere'noe as pto which end of the cylinder engages these stops or as to whether theyare both at the" The projecting tongues ofthe I same end. 0 stops 19 maybe bent for the purpose of effecting adjustment. The relative disposiatlon or arrangement of the several parts is such that the indicatingcylinder will be firmly magnetically held by the electro-mag- 5 nets 15,against the one or the other of the stops 19 when the coils and coresare energize These stops 19 also provide for conveniently positivelyalining the indications with the sight opening. j

The free ends of the coils 13 and 14 are 7@ shown as soldered toconductive strips 20 wh ch are held in place'by and are electri In theoperation of the instrument, as 8g described, the total magnetismof thetwo movable magnets 2 is made use of for shifting the indicatingcylinder from its middle position to an extreme position, whereas onlyone of these movable magnets, that one 5 adjacent to the stationarymagnet 6, is made use of in the biasing operation as to the mid dleposition. This construction enables the instrument to give a Charge or,Discharge indication with a very light current. on All of the magneticfields, both permanent and electrically controlled, are stronglylocalized, and this, together with the general arrangement of parts,results in such a distribution and balancing of magnetic forces thatonce a shifting movement of the indicating cylinder is begun it will becompleted, the indicating shell 1 being quickly shifted from oneindicating position to another. Upon the flowing of a very slight we,current in the coils 13 and 14, suilicient magnetism will thereby bedeveloped in cooperation with both the movable magnets 2 to pull thebiased one of these movable magnets out of the concentrated portion ofthe field existingbetween its sharp end and the thin edge of the polarextension 12 of the stationary biasing magnet 6, and the indicatingcylinder will be continuously moved strongly and quickly to an extremeindicat- 11o ing position where it will be stopped by one of theabutment steps 19 against which it will be firmly held by theelectro-magnetic action of the coils 13 and 14 and their cores 15. Uponcessation of current in the coils 13 and 14, the electro-magnetic actionceases and the indicating cylinder is promptly returned to its middleposition by the permanent magnet '6 coiiperating with the adjacentmovable magnet 2 and is strongly 12o brought entirely to the middleposition and securely held there by the concentration or localization ofthe field between the thin polar extension 12 and the sharp angular endof the ma et 2. Because of this strong localization 0 the field at themiddle position, any slight residual magnetism which may sometimestemporarily persist in the paramagnetic cores 15 will, be completelycounteracted and the indicating cylinder 13o supports, correspondination of the brought with precision correctly to its middle position.Also the locally intensified field quickly checks oscillation of theindicating cylinder at the middle position and renders 1t very nearlydead beat.

. Instead of employing a single stationary magnet such as 6, twostationary magnetic to the supports 6 and 7 may be employe buteach'having in this case onlyone-half the cross-sectional area of themagnet 6, so asfjointly'to exert the same directional influence as doesthe single magnet 6. illustrated diagrammaticall in Fig. 11 of In thismodi ed construction,

the drawings. two stationary magnets 23 and 24 are emof the movableployed, one adjacent to each magnets 2, the stationary magnets 23 and 2L being oppositely polarized as indicated and each being of one-half themagnetic strength of the stationary magnet 6, as indicated by thecorrespondingly decreased thickness, as shown in this figure of thedrawings.

other respects than noted, this instrument may be of similarconstruction to that described in reference to Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive,of the drawings.

The polarity indications N and S laced on the drawings are merelyemployed or clearness of illustration and description and are to beunderstood as being only relative. It will be seen that all of'themagnets could be of opposite or reverse polarity to that indicatedwithout afiecting the operstood, o;E course, that care should beexercised to connect the instrument properly in the circuit.

It is obvious that-various modifications may be made in theconstructions shown in the drawings and above particularly describedwithin the princip e and scope of my invention. I

I claim:

1. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a magneticallypolarized member pivoted for movement to two extreme indicatingpositions at opposite sides of a middle-indicating position, means magncally coiiperati've .with' the magnetically polarized member to holditin the middle position when no current is flowing through said circuit,and a pair of electro-magnets of opposed ,polarity in proximi to-themagnetically polarized member an cooper I enemy polarized member to oneor the ot er of its;

- I rotative movement in com}; po ariz member ative therewith to shiftthe ma two -extreme indisides of a midranged ,Such a construction ismember for magnetically holding instrument. It is also underfootP0111011, secured to the in indicating position,

stops for such mempolarized member to hold it in the middleposition'when no current is flowing through said circuit, and a pair ofelectro-magnets of opposed polarity in proximity to the magneticallypolarized member and arto coiiperate therewith to shift the magneticallypolarized member to one or the other of its extreme positions.

3. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a pivotally mountedindicating member movable to two extreme indicating positions atopposite sides of a middle indicating position, a pair of substantiallyparallel oppositely arranged bar magnets movable with the indicatingmember and ex- ,tendingtransversely to its pivotal axis, a. permanentmagnet in control of stationary one only 0 the movable magnets formagnetically determiningthe middle position of the indicating member,and electrically controlled magnetic means coiiperative with both of themovable magnets for magnetically shifting the indicating member to oneor the other of its extreme positions.

4. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a pair ofmagnetically unconnected permanent magnets mounted to move pivotally toether with like poles at opposite sides 0 the pivotal axis, aparamagnetic the pivotedpair of magnets at one indicating position. andelectrically controlled magnetic means for moving such pair of magnetsto another indicating positlon.

- 5. A circuit indicator comprising, in cem bination, an indicating.member pivotally mounted for movement to two extreme ind1- ca'tingositions at opposite sides of a middle indicating position, asupportingiiframe, an L-sha ed stationary ma et havin its ame and avingits stem portion projecting therefrom and forming a'pivotal support forthe indicating member, a movable magnet forming a support for theindicating member and pivotally supported on the projecting stem of thestationary magnet and 006 rativetherewith to determine 'magnetica ly themiddle position of the indicating member, and an electric coil formagnetically'influencing the movable magnet 1n opposition to thestationary magnet or shift" the indicating member to one or the ot erofits extreme positions according to the direction of electric currentinthe coil.

, "Q A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, anindicating, mem jer pivoted for to twoextreme indicatpositions' at opposite "sides of amiddle two bar magnets movablewith the indicating member mounted insubstantially parallel relation with unlike poles atthe same side" of'the'axis of the pivot of the indicating member, a stationary magnetadjacent to one of the movablemaglid positions according to inmate netsand coiiperative therewith for magnetically determining the middleposition of the indicating member, and an electro-magnet coiiperativewith both of the movable magnets for magnetically shifting theindicating member to one or the other of its extreme the polarityimparted to the electro-magnet.

7. A circuit indicator comprising, in com bination, an indicating memberpivoted for rotative movement to two extreme indicating positions atopposite sides of a middle indieating position, two bar magnets movablewith the indicating member mounted in sub stantially parallel relationwith unlike poles at thesame side of the axis of the pivot of theindicating member, a stationary magnet adjacent to one of the movablemagnets and coiiperative therewith for magnetically determinin themiddle position of the indicating mem er,'and a pair of electro-magnetsin proximity to the movable magnets and arranged to act in harmony onthe movable magnets to 1ft the indicating member to one or the other ofits extreme positions.

8. A circuit indicator comprising, in. combination, an indicating memberpivoted for rotative movement to two extreme indicating positions, atopposite sides of a middle indicatin position, two bar magnets pivotallymova le with the indicating member mount ed in substantially parallelrelation with unlike poles at the same side of the axis of the pivot ofthe indicating member, a stationary magnet adjacent to one. of themovable magnets and cooperative therewith vJEor magnetically determlnmgthe middle pom'tion of the indicating member, and a pair ofelectro-magnets one of which is located at one side and the other at theother side of an axial plane passing through thepivotallgr movablemagnets longitudinally thereo these electro-magnets having their lengthin the eneral direction of the axis or the piw'nt of t eindicatingmember andhaving their poles oppositely arranged so that poles of willbe adjacent to the same movable magnet, whereby the electromaets act inharmony on the movable bar magnets to shift the indicating member .to

-one or the other of its extreme positions as did determined bythedirection of current imparting polarity to the electro-magnets.

9. A circuit indicator comprisin in coma pivotally mounted indicatingpositions at opposite sides of a middle indicatin' position, a pair ofsubstantially para el oppositely arranged bar mets movable with theindicating member and extending transversely to its pivotal axis, spacedpivotal supports for the movable magnets and indicating member, one ofsuch supports being a magnet and adjacent to one of the movable a; gnetsfor magnetically give one indication,

' position.

determining the middle position of the indicating member, andelectrically controlled magnetic means coiiperative with both of themovable magnets for magnetically shifting the indicating member to oneor the other of its extreme positions.

10. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a plurality ofmagnetically disconnected movable permanent magnets mounted forconcerted movement, a stationary magnet controlling less than the Wholenumber of such movable magnets to and electrically controlled magneticmeans in control of all of such movable magnets to give anotherindication.

11. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a pair of movablepermanent magnets mounted to move pivotally together but magneticallydisconnected from each other, a stationary permanent magnet in controlof one only of the movable mag nets for giving one indication, andelectrically controlled magnetic means in control of both of the movablemagnets for giving another indication.

12. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, an axially pivotedindicating cylinder, a magnet on the cylinder at each end thereof andmovable therewith, a stationary magnet adjacent to one of the movablemagnets and coiiperative therewith magnetically to determine one of theindicating positions of the cylinder, and electrically controlledmagnetic means in control of both of the movable magnets for shifting.the cylinder to another indicating 13. A circuit indicator comprising,in combination, ber pivoted for movement to two extreme indicatingpositions at opposite sides or a middle indicating position, a stationaparamagnetic member for magnetically determining the middle position ofthepivoted member, the movable and stationary member each having anedge-like portion projecting toward the other so to produce a stronglylocally intensified magnetic field for sharply magnetically fixing themiddle position or the movable member, and electrically con trolledmagnetic means for maetically shifting the movable member to one or. theotherof its extreme "positions at to the polarity imparted to theelectricall controlled magnetic means as detered y the direction of thecurrent in the circuit.

14 A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, a magneticallypolarized member pivoted for movement to two extremeint dicatingpositions at opposite sides of a middle indicating position and having amagnetism-concentrating edge, a stationary magnetically polarized memberfor magnetically deter :m at the middle pom'tion oi? a magneticallypolarized memi.

Fill

the pivoted polarized member, a paramagnetic polar extension on thestationary polarized member having a magnetismconcentrating edgeadjacent to the edge of the pivoted polarized member at the middle ofthe latter for magnetically determining such middle position, andelectricall controlled magnetic means for magnetical y shifting theplvoted polarized member to one or the other of its extreme positions.

15. A circuit indicator comprising, in combination, an indicating memberpivotally mounted for movement to two extreme indicating positions atopposite sides position sharply of a middle indicating position, asupporting frame,

a stationary magnet supported on the frame and forming a pivotal supportfor the indicating member, a movable magnet pivotally supported on thestationary magnet and supporting the indicating member, the movablemagnetbeing cooperative with the stationary magnet to determinemagnetically the middle position of the indicating mem er, aparamagnetic core-piece supported on the frame, and an electric coil onthe corret-lpiece, the coil and its core 00- acting to i uencemagnetically the movable magnet and shift the indicating member to oneor the other of its extreme positions ac-' cording to the direction ofelectric current in the coil.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses;

' WALTER E. BEEDE. Witnesses:

WM. ASHLEY KELLY, BERNARD Gowns.

